Fantasy Fodder season preview: Ranking fantasy wide receivers

Let's jump in the time machine and flash back in time to the early 2000s when Tom Cruise wasn't a known crazy person, "Freedom Fries" were an innovation in redneck culinary circles and men under the age of 40 wearing visors in public was considered to be socially acceptable. Thanks to Al Gore's Internet invention, fantasy football was starting to blow up -- and we were advised to select running backs with our first 13 or so picks.

Back to the future, the NFL has become a passing league. And fantasy football is a gazillion-dollar industry with endless amounts of analysis and statistical know-how. We know now that building a fantasy team with running backs first doesn’t have to be the way to go. Quarterbacks and receivers are getting love, too.

This year, you can make an argument for taking one of five, maybe six wide receivers in the first round of your draft. Andre Johnson, Roddy White and Calvin Johnson are virtual locks to go in Round 1, and you could also see Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks or Larry Fitzgerald come off the board before Round 2.

If you’re able to land two of those guys in the first two rounds, your team should be in very good shape, especially if you’re able to pinpoint sleepers at running back and QB the rest of the way.

I’m an Andre Johnson guy, and once again he is atop my wide receiver rankings. But for the first time in a couple of summers, I had to think hard about that one. White has solidified himself as one of the top point-producers in fantasy football, and I’m a big fan of Nicks, who might have finished as the top wide receiver in fantasy football last year had he not had injury issues in the season's second half.

You can’t go wrong with any of those three in Round 1, with the “if healthy” caveat, of course. And as an added bonus, your fellow owners won’t mock you for not taking a running back. Doing it while wearing a visor is another story, though -- well, unless you’re Steve Spurrier or you’re on the LPGA tour, I suppose.

On to the wide receiver rankings…

1. Andre Johnson, Texans: The presence of Arian Foster opens things up for Johnson and this offense.

2. Roddy White, Falcons: Will the addition of Julio Jones help or hurt White’s fantasy value?

3. Hakeem Nicks, Giants: I’m willing to take on the injury risk for this semi-sleeper wideout.

4. Calvin Johnson, Lions: If Matt Stafford stays healthy, look out. If he doesn’t, you should still look out.

5. Greg Jennings, Packers: Don’t worry, there are plenty of balls to go around in the Green Bay offense.

6. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: His numbers will rise now that Arizona no longer has a pu-pu platter at QB.

7. Vincent Jackson, Chargers: He was projected as a top-7 or top-8 wideout before last season’s holdout.

Matt Vensel is a blogger and community coordinator for The Baltimore Sun. Send your fantasy questions and comments to Matt.Vensel@baltsun.com, @mattvensel on Twitter or leave them in the comments section below.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be bringing back my weekly fantasy football column this fall. Why am I so pleased? Because it gives me an excuse to tinker with my fantasy football teams when I'm on the clock.

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